- 9209 Hammerly Blvd. [HAR]
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Home Decor
- 6710 Falcon Pt. [HAR]
- 2121 Kirby Dr. Unit 25NW [HAR]
Folks are always dying to get in and get a peek inside prominent homes fronting major Houston intersections. And here, adjacent to the roundabout at the southern end of Montrose Blvd. surrounding the Mecom Fountain just north of Rice University across from the main entrance to Hermann Park, a Halloween-season folly has been showing off a fantasy reenactment of just that scenario.
The tableau: Gotta-get-inside skeletons scale the security fences, crawl across the lawns, commandeer the topiary, and clamor for the entrance:
A Shadyside Halloween
- 12 Legend Ln. [HAR]
- 6210 S. Royal Point Dr. [HAR]
THE RISE AND DECLINE OF AMERICA’S GRANITE COUNTERTOPS OBSESSION Revising the conclusions of his “what made granite countertops so popular” story from 2 years ago, Phil Edwards notes in this new video evidence that the mania for Brazilian, Chinese, and Indian stone surfaces in U.S. kitchens and baths reached its peak about a decade ago: “2006: The granite bubble and housing bubble came at the same time. Just as laminates rode technological and construction booms in the ’50s, granite rode similar waves in the 2000s. Granite was good, but its timing made it overrated — and that might be why we’re starting to correct. The end of that chart [of worked-granite imports to the U.S.] shows a dip in granite. That’s for a lot of reasons, some of which are bigger than interior design trends. But if you watch house hunting shows you’ll see there are other materials catching on.” [Vox; previously on Swamplot] Video: Vox
- 29411 Commons Forest Dr. [HAR]
- 11 Oakley Downs Pl. [HAR]
- 83 Windward Cove [HAR]
- 5105 Braeburn Dr. [HAR]
RICHMOND MANNEQUIN MANSION NOW HAS A FAN PAGE, REGULAR DRIVE-BYS, AND LOOKY-LOOS, BUT NO BUYER YET 
More than 3 million people have now viewed the listing for the 5-bedroom gated home at 4302 Colony West Dr. — a bit of an uptick from the 200 or so per week its real estate agent, Diana Power, says typically look up one of her less unusual home offerings. But this 2-acre property on Jones Creek has a bit more going on in its photos. Sandy Walsh, the Richmond jewelry and clothing designer and artist behind the tchochke-, mannequin-, and set-piece-stunt-filled 5-bedroom home, has now done 3 teevee interviews to show off her handiwork and stand up to viewer insults (“Don’t just hate it and think it’s creepy . . . take a second look.â€); she’s also started a Facebook fan page for the property, which she regularly populates with jarring closeups of its done-up mannequin residents. Law enforcement officers, writes Chronicle reporter Emily Foxhall, have been alerted to “the issue of curious people driving past” the home. “It requires time to take everything in,” Foxhall notes. “Some potential buyers have wanted the mannequins included,” Powers tells her, “but Walsh does not plan to part with them all.” The asking price remains at $1,275,000. [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot] Photo of 4302 Colony West Dr.: HAR
- 153 W. Lake Point Blvd. [HAR]
- 1415 Indiana St. [HAR]
